Preview

Although New England and the Chesapeake Region Were Both Settled Largely by People of English Origin, by 1700 the Regions Had Evolved Into Two Distinct Societies. Why Did This Difference in Development Occur? Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
904 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Although New England and the Chesapeake Region Were Both Settled Largely by People of English Origin, by 1700 the Regions Had Evolved Into Two Distinct Societies. Why Did This Difference in Development Occur? Essay Example
Around the 1600’s, New England started to develop a drastic population growth. This growth caused several problems for the occupants including, high prices on food, land, and a shortage of work for many because of the aggressive competition. Immigrants from New England began to prepare for a voyage that would be beneficial for some travelling to Massachusetts and not so much those who were travelling to Virginia. Although the settlers from the Chesapeake Bay and New England came from the same country, these colonies established different societies because of varying elements such as religious freedoms, economy, government’s role in society and unity.
The immigrants from New England were mostly Puritans who believed in a society where there should be no separation between church and state. Their purpose for coming to the “New World” was because they wanted the freedom to practice their religion without religious persecution. In John Winthrop’s sermon,” A city upon the hill,” suggested in Document A, he states, “God Almighty in his most holy and wise providence hath so disposed of the condition of mankind… we must be knot together in this work as one.” He advises that God knows all that is best and in their community that they intend to build, they all must stay united and support each other through good and bad. The migrants that originated from the Chesapeake Bay however intended to migrate solely for the purpose of wealth and gold. Many of the immigrants had died because of the “bitter cold frost” and the lack of food provided, as stated in Document F. Captain John Smith also reports that, “There was no talk… but dig, wash gold, refine gold, load gold….”
These people were unlike the puritans, who intended to work for a better future and attempted to create an environment that would benefit all; the people of Virginia were blinded by their own greed and unprepared. In Virginia, the land was swampy and contained airborne diseases that would later be the cause

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Ship’s list of emigrants bound for Virginia in 1635 was comprised of mostly males, indicating that there was no desire to establish permanent homes, due to the fact that there is no way to increase their population significantly (document C). The Virginia Company was issued a charter by King James I for colonists to settle in the New World and gain money for England. In fact, if the colony did not gain riches for England, the Virginia Company would be liquidated to make money and the colonists would be stranded in unfamiliar territory with scarce supplies. This consequently put pressure on the colonists to concentrate on finding riches from the New World. The colonists were so preoccupied with finding gold and other treasures that they were not able to prioritize their basic needs, like food and other supplies. As a result, many colonists were malnourished and many died of starvation. It also contributed to the greed, lazy, and selfish attitudes of the Virginia colonists. Captain John Smith, who took control of the Virginia colony and reformed the colonists’ work ethic, wrote in the History of Virginia that “there was no talk…but dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold…” (Document F). This shows the colonists obsession in finding riches in this highly economically centered society. They asked, not what they would eat tomorrow but how they could get more gold. The fact that their society was solely focused on money further illustrates the greed of the Chesapeake colony. The Chesapeake colonies did not offer the equality and tolerance of the New England colonies. Governor Berkley described in his inability to defend Virginia against a Dutch attack various social and class distinctions (Document G). The different social classes mentioned by Berkley were the freemen, servants, and Negroes. In New England, they often refer to people collectively as “everyone” establishing…

    • 854 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In contrast to the mercenary nature of Virginia, New England was founded out of altruistic and religious reasons. The Separatists, and later the Puritans who arrived in 1630, came primarily so that they might practice their religion as they wished, free of royal interference. As John Winthrop wrote, the settlers saw their colony as a noble experiment, a "city upon a hill" which was being watched by the entire world. The settlement would be a Christian community in which all would labor together for the common good, and everybody would help his neighbor in every way. Clearly the two regions had very different outlooks in life.…

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    During the early 1700’s, both New England and Chesapeake regions were settled largely by the people of the English origin. The settlers of the two colonies were foreigners to the land who established two exceptional, but contrary societies due to the diversity of English citizens. Although both colonies were from the same English background they developed different distinctions from their political standards, religion, and social life.…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Unit 1 Dbq Essay

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages

    They sailed over from England, all seeking glorified opportunities. These English colonists sought out an opportunity when boarding ships and leaving the Old World to travel to the exciting unknown; but each person had their own unique desire. These unique desires led to the many diverse societies that spread all throughout the eastern sea board of the New World by the 1700’s. Religious tolerance, organization in government, and economic stability were all contributing factors to the differences New England and Chesapeake Bay regions had.…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Two unique societies were constructed by people of common origin. These English colonists immigrated to the New World for either economic prosperity or religious freedom. During colonization, two regions were formed, New England and the Chesapeake Bay area. The two contrasting societies of New England and Chesapeake region were the results of diversity of: social and family structure; health and living conditions; economy; religion and beliefs; and government policies.…

    • 756 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the 1700s, the regions of New England and the Chesapeake experienced dramatic changes and stimulated development due to the increase in immigration from Europe to this new world of the Americas. The immigrants that came to the New England colony differed in terms of reasons for coming and differences in ways of establishing a foundation for the society verses the Chesapeake colony. The differentiating motives, interactions between the natives, and the formation of the structure of society created the differences in development between these two distinct societies.…

    • 692 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This essay will be analyzing and comparing & contrasting the colonies of Chesapeake and New England. This paper’s main concern is how these colonies are so dramatically different and what aspects of the colonies make them so. This paper will argue considerable differences in settling and motives to settle had a dramatic effect on the initial success of the colonies. Chesapeake had a tremendous death rate of 65-percent of their original one-hundred-and-four settlers. This contrast greatly with the initial settling of New England and Plymouth as there were few Indian populations and they were in a far healthier landscape. This paper will continue to discuss the role different governments…

    • 2088 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Protestants and Separatists came to the new world for religious freedom and to start a new, and hopefully successful, life. They wanted to get away from the persecution in England by settling across a vast ocean.…

    • 311 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the 17th and 18th century, English populace felt that England was over-crowded and oppressive. They longed to mitigate the problems that arose because of the exaggerated population boom and to establish a government that would allot them the freedom they thought they deserved. The English believed that the best way to go about this was to colonize the New World. Subsequently, many colonies began to develop, and of these colonies, Massachusetts and Virginia were the most well-known. The early settlements of the Massachusetts and Virginia were both established by similar groups of people at the same time; however, their contrasting beginnings as a colony, views on religion, and means of economic stability created two different politics and economic systems.…

    • 583 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The New England colonies and the Southern colonies are slightly similar in some aspects, but drastically different in most. For example the new england colonies were strictly puritan and they did not tolerate any other religion but the southern colonies were not dominated by a single religion which gave way to more liberal attitudes and some religious freedom. The economy of New England was powered mostly the manufacturing in factories, whereas the Southern colonies’ economies were more agriculturally based. The social structures were different, because the New England colonies didn’t believe in slavery, so the social ladders were not the same. Religious tolerance was another major difference in these two regions. Overall the New England and Southern colonies are slightly similar, but their differences set them apart from each other.`…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout history, many people from the same country have immigrated to different lands where their new lifestyles had very little in common. This was obvious in the settlement of the New England and Chesapeake colonies before 1700 which caused the development of dissimilar societies. The people of New England and the Chesapeake colonies formed different governments upon arrival to North America. They had different motives and incentives for immigrating to America. The composition of the colonists of New England and the Chesapeake area were nothing like one another during the settlement of the colonies.…

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jamestown Dbq

    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Although three of the European settlements in early 1600’s North America during the early 1600’s were founded by different people groups withfor different motives and on different principles, they held many similarities. in addition to their contrasts. Jamestown, Virginia, was founded in 1607 by a group of men and young boys as a commercial project while the settlements of Plymouth and Massachusetts were to be refuges for persecuted Separatists and Puritans. The goals, environments, and backgrounds of the people who settled these areas affected ? the success and failures of their New World. Some compare with others, while others differ from the rest.…

    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely by the people of English origin, by 1700 the regions had evolved into two distinct societies. The reasons for this distinct development were mostly based on the type on people from England who chose to settle in the two areas, and on the manner in which the areas were settled. <br><br>New England was a refuge for religious separatists leaving England, while people who immigrated to the Chesapeake region had no religious motives. As a result, New England formed a much more religious society then the Chesapeake region. John Winthrop states that their goal was to form "a city upon a hill", which represented a "pure" community, where Christianity would be pursued in the most correct manner. Both the Pilgrims and the Puritans were very religious people. In both cases, the local government was controlled by the same people who controlled the church, and the bible was the basis for all laws and regulations. From the Article of Agreement, Springfield, Massachusetts it is clear that religion was the basis for general laws. It uses the phrase "being by God's providence engaged together to make a plantation", showing that everything was done in God's name. The Wage and Price Regulations in Connecticut is an example of common laws being justified by the bible. Also in this document the word "community " is emphasized, just as Winthrop emphasizes it saying: "we must be knit together in this work as one man". The immigrants to New England formed very family and religiously oriented communities. Looking at the emigrant lists of people bound for New England it is easy to observe that most people came in large families, and large families support the community atmosphere. There were many children among the emigrants, and those children were taught religion from their early childhood, and therefore grew up loyal to the church, and easily controllable by the same. Any deviants from the regime were silenced or…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although the settlers of the New England and Chesapeake region were both settled by people of English origin, by the 1700s, they had transformed into very different societies. This was because of a number of reasons. Between the settlers, the New Englanders moved for religious purposes, while Chesapeakes moved for want for material wealth.The people of New England also consisted of more families than the predominantly young male population of the Chesapeake. Their governing styles were also different, New England being more about fairness and equity while their southern neighbors were more concerned with gaining material wealth and not about helping the poorer of their communities.…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is obvious that there were many difficulties for early settlers in Virginia during the early 1600’s.…

    • 759 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays